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JC  SOUTH 

;RN  REGIONAL 

-IBRARY  FACILI 

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1^6 

OSEBERG 
SHIP 


by 
ANTON  WILHELM  BROGGER 

Professor  of  Archeeology  in  the 
University  of  Christiania 


Price  Fifty  Cents 


Reprinted  from 
The  American- Scandinavian  Revi. 
July  1921 


4^ 


,"^ 
^ 

^ 


The  Oseberg  Ship 

By  Anton  Wilhelm  Broggek 

The  ships  of  the  Viking  Age  discovered  in  Norway  count  among 
the  few  national  productions  of  antiquity  that  have  attained  world  wide 
celebrity.  And  justly  so,  for  they  not  only  give  remarkable  evidence 
of  a  unique  heathen  burial  custom,  but  they  also  bear  witness  to  a  very 
high  culture  which  cannot  fail  to  be  of  interest  to  the  world  outside. 
The  Oseberg  discoveries,  the  most  remarkable  and  abundant  anti- 
quarian find  in  Norway,  contain  a  profusion  of  art,  a  wealth  of 
objects  and  phenomena,  coming  from  a  people  who  just  at  that  time, 
the  ninth  century,  began  to  come  into  contact  with  one-half  of  Europe. 
It  was  a  great  period  and  it  has  given  us  great  monuments.  We  have 
long  been  acquainted  with  its  literature.  Such  a  superb  production  as 
Egil  Skallagrimson's  Sonartorrek,  which  is  one  hundred  years  later 
than  the  Oseberg  material,  is  a  worthy  companion  to  it. 

/  The  Oseberg  ship  was  dug  out  of  the  earth  and  caused  the  great- 
est astonishment  even  among  Norwegians.  Who  could  know  that 
on  that  spot,  an  out  of  the  way  barrow  on  the  farm  of  Oseberg  in 
the  parish  of  Slagen,  a  little  to  the  north  of  Tcinsberg,  there  would  be 
excavated  the  finest  and  most  abundant  antiquarian  discoveries  of 
Norway?  Xtj^^s  in  the  summer  of  the  year  1903  that  a  farmer  at 
Oseberg  began  to  dig  the  })arrow.  He  struck  some  woodwork  and 
stopped  digging.  A  journey  to  Christlania  brought  liim  in  toucli  with 
Professor  G.  Gustafson,  at  that  time  director  of  the  University  Col- 
lection of  Anti{|uities,  to  whom  he  made  known  his  discovery.  Gus- 
tafson at  once  went  to  the  spot,  and  made  a  small  trial  excavation, 
which  after  a  day  or  so  convinced  him  that  the  barrow  contained  a 
Viking  shi]),  as  large  as  the  Gokstad  shi])  excavated  near  Sandefjord 
in  1880.     On  that  hypothesis  he  was  able  to  plan  his  excavations, 


175^6i)4 


The  Ship  as  it  Lay  in  the  Barrow  After  the   Kxcavatioxs  Were  Lo."mi'letei) 


which  took  place  throughout  the  summer  of  1904,  and  were  not  con- 
cluded until  late  in  the  autumn.  The  task  was  long  and  difficult,  but 
the  result  was  a  complete  romance.  That  such  an  achievement  was 
made,  and  that  the  Oseberg  discoveries  obtained  so  great  historical 
importance  are  very  largely  due  to  the  enormous  care  and  energy  dis- 
played by  Professor  Gustafson.  He  did  not  live  to  see  the  completion 
of  the  work  of  preparing  the  material  discovered,  dying  in  the  midst 
of  his  labors  in  April,  1915. 

The  barrow  in  which  the  discovery  was  made  was  situated  close 
to  an  ancient  river  bed,  five  kilometers  from  the  sea.  During  the 
Viking  Age  the  river  was  navigable  for  a  vessel  of  the  size  of  the 
Oseberg  ship.)  The  barrow  was  at  one  time  one  of  the  largest  in 
Norway,  but  in  the  course  of  centuries  had  been  completely  destroyed. 
It  was  built  of  huge  masses  of  peat,  and  formed  a  completely  airtight 
covering  over  the  whole  of  the  interior,  and  in  conjunction  with  the 
foundation  of  clay  in  which  all  the  objects  lay,  it  resulted  in  the 
excellent  state  of  preservation  which  characterizes  the  material  exca- 
vated. All  the  wooden  objects  were  preserved,  although  broken  by 
mechanical  means,  through  the  great  jjressure  of  the  masses  of  earth 
above. 


lL>^^'' 


OJ\S 


JO-*."'' 


Tlie  shi})  lay  in  the  barrow  pointing'  noitli  to  south,  with  the  prow 
towarJ  the  south.  Behind  the  mast  there  was  a  sepulehral  chamber  of 
timber  in  which  \ay  the  dead.  Stones  were  tlirown  over  the  whole  of 
the  ship,  and  above  them  the  barrow  was  erected.  At  the  very  com- 
mencement of  the  excavations,  those  engaged  found  proofs  that  the 
barrow  had  been  broken  into  in  ancient  times,  and  the  course  of  the 
thieves  could  be  distinctly  traced.  From  the  southern  side  of  the 
mound  they  penetrated  to  the  middle  by  means  of  an  open  ])assage 
some  three  or  four  meters  in  breadth,  with  the  sole  object  of  reaching 
the  sepulchral  chamber.  It  was  evident  that  they  had  succeeded  in 
doing  so,  for  the  chamber  bore  very  distinct  traces  of  their  work. 
They  chopped  out  a  large  opening  in  the  tent-shaped  roof,  and  took 


Detail  of  a   Post  Ornamented  With   Animal  Heads 


away  a  considerable  quantity  of  the  valuables  which  must  undoubtedly 
have  been  in  the  chamber.  This  compartment  contained  the  bodies 
of  two  women,  the  Oseberg  Queen  and  her  bond-woman.  We  can 
see  how  the  robbers  desecrated  the  corpses  by  chopping  off  arms  and 
hands  which  presumably  bore  gold  rings.  Traces  of  the  robbers  were 
found  all  over  the  passages  along  which  they  had  forced  an  entrance. 
Here  and  there  lay  broken  remains  of  objects  which  liad  lain  in  the 
sepulchral  chamber. 

From  the  level  of  the  thieves'  entrance  an  investigation  was  by 
degrees  made  of  the  sepulchral  chamber.  There  had  lain  the  two 
dead  women,  presumably  each  in  a  se])arate  bed,  surrounded  by  cov- 
erlets, pillows,  and  clothes.  One  of  the  women,  i)erhaps  the  Queen 
herself,  must  have  been  about  thirty  years  of  age,  the  other  about 
fifty.    The  sepulchral  chamber  in  the  shi])  was  made  their  resting  place, 


Brr.  Oak  Chest 


and  with  them  were 
placed  a  n  u  m  b  e  r  of 
articles  of  a  more  per- 
sonal character.  We  must 
content  ourselves  by  men- 
tioning the  most  impor- 
tant. There  was  a  beau- 
tiful oak  chest  containing 
both  fruit  and  grain,  viz., 
w  i  1  d  a  p  p  1  e  s  ( c  r  a  b- 
apples)  and  wheat.  Wild 
apples  were  found  in 
other  parts  of  the  ship,  and  in  all  we  have  now  about  fifty  of  them. 
We  may  here  mention  that  the  vegetable  remains  from  the  Oseberg 
ship  are  in  such  considerable  quantities,  that  they  prove  with  certainty 
that,  assuming  the  year  to  have  been  a  normal  one  from  the  point  of 
view  of  vegetation,  the  burial  of  the  Oseberg  Queen  must  have  taken 
place  at  the  end  of  August  or  during  the  first  week  of  September. 

Two  other  chests  were  found  in  the  chamber,  both  of  oak.  One  of 
them  was  quite  entire,  and  contained  two  iron  lamps  with  long  rods, 
a  wooden  box  for  cotton,  an  awl,  a  spindle,  iron  scissors,  horseshoe 
nails,  etc.  In  general,  the  sepulchral  chamber  contained  a  collection 
of  domestic  implements.  We  may  mention  a  winder  for  yarn,  and 
also  two  looms,  both  of  very  important  and  interesting  types.  In  this 
connection  we  may  also  mention  the  most  remarkable  contents  of  the 
sepulchral  chamber,  the  numerous  remnants  of  woven  picture  tapes- 
tries M'hich  lay  there.  At  the  present  time  a  scientific  assistant  to  the 
Editorial  Committee  is  working  at  this  material,  and  it  may  be  said, 
inter  alia,  that  these  tapestries  must 
to  a  large  extent  have  been  made  in 
Norway. 

In  another  })art  of  the  sepulchral 
cliamber  was  found  a  collection  of 
buckets  and  pails.  Two  of  these  belong 
to  the  most  beautiful  objects  in  the  en- 
tire collection,  one  having  four  handles 
and  a  wealth  of  brass  fittings,  the  unique 
form  of  which  has  given  rise  to  the  in- 
correct name  "Buddha"  pail,  whereas 
the  workmanship  is  Western  and  most 
probably  Knglish,  belonging  to  the 
early  Viking  ])erio(l. 

It  should  also  l)e  mentioned  that 
the  sepulchral  chamber  once  contained 

two    beds,    a    large   quantity    of   rope    for      Large   Pail   With    Brass   Mountings 


tents  and  sails,  a  considerable  (juantity  of  down  and  feathers  for 
pillows  and  coverlets,  a  number  of  unique  and  beautifully  carved 
wooden  poles  rej)resenting  the  heads  of  animals,  and  further  a  (juantity 
of  large  and  small  objects  of  various  kinds. 

When  the  investigation  of  the  sepulchral  chamber  was  com]jleted, 
it  was  j)ossible  to  proceed  with  the  stern  of  the  ship.  The  space  was 
small,  but  nevertheless  it  contained  a  number  of  the  objects  belonging 
lo  a  tidy  and  well-appointed  kitchen,  such  as  an  iron  pot  with  a  three- 
legged  stand,  a  chain  for  a  hanging  ])ot,  a  number  of  small  dishes 
and  troughs  of  wood,  frying  pans,  kit-boxes,  knives,  a  hand-mill  for 
corn,  a  kitchen  stool  with  four  legs,  and  a  great  many  other  articles. 
In  the  stern  there  also  lay  a  small  axe.  It  was  placed  between  two 
oak  planks  and  was  wonder- 
fidly  w^ell   preserved. 

That  which  was  found  in 
the  sepulchral  chamber  and  in 
the  stern,  how-ever,  was  nothing 
in  comparison  with  that  found 
in  the  fore  part  of  the  ship.  It 
is  only  possible  to  enumerate 
here  the  most  important  of  the 
objects  discovered.  As  regards 
ships'  equipment  here  were 
found  a  number  of  oars,  a 
gangway  plank,  two  w'ater 
barrels,  booms  and  gaffs  for 
spreading  sails,  bailing  scoops, 
anchors  and  anchor  stocks,  in 
addition  to  a  number  of  in- 
determinate objects  w^hich  un- 
doubtedly belong  to  the  equi])- 
nient  of  a  ship.  Among  the 
burial  equipment  may  be  men- 
tioned, first  and  foremost,  the 
beautiful  four-wheeled  wagon, 
which  is  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable objects  in  the  Ose- 
berii'  collection.     As   will  be 


The  So-Cai.i.ki)  Biddiia   Pail 


^  ..v,.^^^., ....    .....  ^^  seen,  it  was  intended  to  be  drawn  by 

two  horses,  and  has  a  most  curious  construction,  there  being  a  loose 
wagon  body  made  of  oak.  On  the  sides  of  the  latter  we  find  some 
very  interesting  and  remarkable  carvings  in  the  oak.  .Vs  regards 
other  vehicles,  there  were  four  sledges,  three  of  which  are  veiy  beau- 
tiful and  luxurious,  with  richly  carved  bodies.  These,  too,  were  in- 
tended for  two  horses.  There  were  also  discovered  three  beds,  the 
framework  for  two  tents,  one  framework  for  a  \  ery  large  tent,  a  chair, 


The  Oseberg  Wagon 


a  trough  containing  rye  flour,  several  wooden  dishes,  a  box  or  basket 
made  of  bast,  two  buckets,  one  of  which  contained  combs,  balls  of 
thread,  wax,  buckles,  mountings,  and  in  addition  seeds  of  the  woad 
plant  which  was  used  for  dyeing,  and  also  flax  seeds  and  wild  apples. 
There  were  further  a  litter  or  stretcher,  a  number  of  spades,  three 
pairs  of  shoes,  a  ribbon  loom,  a  beautifully  carved  pole  representing 
an  animal's  head,  three  sledge  poles,  harness  for  horses  and  chains  for 
dogs.  Finally,  in  addition  to  all  the  above,  there  were  the  remains  of 
fifteen  horses,  four  dogs  and  an  ox.  It  was  certainly  not  a  cheap 
funeral ! 

In  the  fore  part  of  the  vessel  oars  had  been  stuck  out  through 
openings  in  the  ship's  side  ready  for  the  voyage.  In  other  words,  it 
was  intended  that  the  Queen  should  be  able  to  use  the  ship  just  as 
she  had  done  during  her  lifetime. 

It  was  not  until  the  end  of  September,  1904,  that  all  the  different 
objects  had  been  excavated,  and  for  the  first  time  since  its  burial  the 
Oseberg  ship  lay  uncovered.  It  was  not  a  pleasing  sight,  twisted  as 
it  was  by  the  masses  of  earth,  the  bottom  of  the  ship  pushed  up  by 
the  underlying  clay,  broken,  warped,  all  the  boards  crushed  and  loos- 
ened, the  ribs  sundered  and  parth^  destroj^ed.     The  ship  required  to 


he  taken  out  as  (juickly 
as  possible,  but  that  could 
of  course  not  be  done  ex- 
H  cei)t  piece  by  piece.  An 
exj)ert  ships'  engineer 
supervised  t  h  e  w  o  r  k, 
whieli  proceeded  until  the 
Oseberg  ship,  in  about 
2, ()()()  })ieces,  reached 
C'hristiania  at  the  end  of 
December,  1904.  There 
it  was  at  first  stored,  and 
then,  after  a  lengthy 
restoration,  was  re-erect- 
ed on  the  spot  where  it 
stands  today. 
\£he  Oseberg  ship  itself  is  a  large,  open  boat,  twenty  meters  long 
on  her  keel,  and  about  twenty-four  meters  from  stem  to  stern.  The 
breadth  is  very  great,  being  more  than  five  meters,  and  the  vessel  is 
quite  flat-bottomed,  being  intended  to  sail  in  very  shallow  water.  The 
height  above  the  water-line  is  quite  inappreciable.  She  has  seventeen 
ribs  and  holds  (or  intermediate  spaces),  all  the  important  parts  being 
made  of  oak,  and  there  are  fifteen  holes  for  oars  on  each  side,  so  that 
thirty  men  were  required  to  row^  the  ship.     But  in  addition  she  has 


Details  of  Carvixg  from  One  of  the  Si.edges 


One  or  the   Richly  Ornamented  Sledges 


The   Oseberg   Ship  in   its  Temporary   Shed   at   Chris- 
TiANiA  University 


a  pine-mast  for  a  sail. 
There  was  a  deck  or 
flooring.  The  ship  was 
steered  by  means  of  a 
rudder  placed  on  the 
starboard  side  aft.  Thus 
the  Oseberg  ship  was  not 
a  sea-going  boat^ike  the 
Gokstad  ship,  so  that  it 
would  not  be  possible  to 
sail  to  America  in  the 
Oseberg  ship,  as  Magnus 
Andersen  did  in  a  replica 
of  the  Gokstad  ship  in 
1893,  although  the  two 
vessels  are  almost  of  the 
same  size.  But  the  reason  is  that  the  purppse  of  the  two  ye&sels  was 
different.  One  was  a  sea-going  ship,  the  omer  a  pleasure  boat.-  The 
Oseberg  ship  was  the  Queen's  yacht  for  summer  cruises  along  the 
Norwegian  coast  within  the  sheltered  waters  inside  the  skerries.  The 
stem  and  stern  of  the  ship  are  richly  decorated,  with  beautiful  carvings 
of  animals.  This  is  the  first  monumental  work  of  Norwegian  art.  The 
great  profusion  of  art  in  the  Oseberg  discoveries  represents  new  ac- 
quisitions for  the  history  of  Norwegian  culture  and  is  of  the  utmost 
importance.  It  is  Norwegian  in  spirit  and  in  execution.  The  sub- 
jects are,  of  course,  the  result  of  influences  from  various  parts  of 
Euro23e,  but  in  scarcely  any  country  of  Europe  can  we  find  at  that 
time, — the  decades  succeeding  the  death  of  Charlemagne, — such  a 
rich,  independent,  and  fruitful  art  as  that  which  the  Oseberg  dis- 
coveries have  reveled  to  us  in  Norway. 

There  is  one  very  natural  question  which  every  one  will  ask  when 
reading  of  the  Oseberg  Queen  and  her  treasures.  Who  was  she  ?  The 
present  author,  in  a  work  published  in  1915,  endeavored  to  prove  that 
we  can  connect  this  remarkable  group  of  discoveries  of  ships  with  a 
special  Norwegian  princely  family,  that  which  commenced  the  con- 
quest of  Norway  from  Vestfold.  By  means  of  detailed  investigations, 
which  space  does  not  permit  us  to  refer  to  here,  the  author  has  tried 
to  show  that  the  Oseberg  Queen  must  be  a  certain  Queen  Asa,  who  was 
the  mother  of  King  Halfdan  the  Black,  and  also  the  grandmother  of 
King  Harald  the  Fair-haired.  She  was  married  to  King  Godrod  in 
^^estfold,  but  against  her  will.  The  year  after  Halfdan  was  born  she 
caused  her  husband  to  be  killed  in  revenge  for  his  having  taken  away 
and  killed  her  father  and  brother.  It  is  on  account  of  this  fearful  deed 
that  her  name  is  preserved  in  our  history.    But  she  was  a  remarkable 


woman,  loved  and  feared.    She  hiouoi.t  up  Ik-i-  sun  Ilallda.i  the  Hhiek 
and  gave  him  lofty  ideals  reganhng  his  voeation.     Her  Hgure  stands 
out  in  history  as  fully  worthy  of  the  pieture  ue  of)tain  of  her  hv  means 
of  tlie  Oseberg  discoveries. 


mm 


Carved  Animal  Heads 


17l>f);)4 


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